


The Curse of Being a Stark

by TheDisneyOutsider



Series: Comfortember 2020 [16]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Bullying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Protective Happy Hogan, Protective Tony Stark, Protectiveness, Uncle Happy Hogan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:49:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27597791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDisneyOutsider/pseuds/TheDisneyOutsider
Summary: “Hey!” he yelled, getting the bully’s attention as well as his son’s, “That’s my son you just pushed.”The bully’s eyes went wide, muttering a terrified, “Tony Stark?” before running off in the opposite direction.“Yeah, you better run kid! I’ll make your life a living hell!”“Dad,” Peter whispered in a harsh tone, eyes darting from side to side when he noticed everybody was now staring.“Here, Pete, let me help you up,” Tony grabbed for the boy’s arm, but Peter swatted him away.“I’m fine, don’t touch me!” Peter snapped, face bright red.Comfortember, Day 16: Protective
Relationships: Happy Hogan & Peter Parker, Happy Hogan & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Comfortember 2020 [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995802
Comments: 28
Kudos: 169
Collections: Comfortember 2020





	The Curse of Being a Stark

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Day 16! Have a little bio dad to brighten your day! I've never written bio dad, so this was fun! Enjoy!!

Tony sat in the pick-up line at the high school, waiting for his kid to come out, so they could start their weekend. He loved Fridays when he could spend the whole weekend with his son, and he didn’t have to share him with school for a full forty-eight hours.

He sighed happily at the thought and looked out the window just as the bell rang. The hoards of students started flooding out, and he waited patiently to see his familiar floppy-haired mop of a teenager.

It didn’t take long for the boy to come bouncing out the door like the rest of the students, and Tony waited patiently while he said his goodbyes to his best friend, Ned.

It wasn’t until Peter was down the stairs that Tony saw a bigger boy approach his kid. Another split-second before said boy was knocking him down, and what seemed like a blink of an eye before Tony was out of the car and running towards the scene.

“Hey!” he yelled, getting the bully’s attention as well as his son’s, “That’s my son you just pushed.”

The bully’s eyes went wide, muttering a terrified, “Tony Stark?” before running off in the opposite direction.

“Yeah, you better run kid! I’ll make your life a living hell!”

“Dad,” Peter whispered in a harsh tone, eyes darting from side to side when he noticed everybody was now staring.

“Here, Pete, let me help you up,” Tony grabbed for the boy’s arm, but Peter swatted him away.

“I’m fine, don’t touch me!” Peter snapped, face bright red.

“Excuse me?” Tony replied in shock.

Peter got up and passed his father, storming off to the car, leaving his dad to follow in confusion. Once they were in the car, Peter crossed his arms.

“Why did you do that!?” he yelled glaring daggers at his dad.

Tony knotted his brows in confusion, “I’m sorry, what did I do? A kid was beating you up, what did you want me to do? Just watch it happen? You’re my son!”

“Exactly!” Peter cried, glaring out the window as the honking from the pick-up line forced Tony to start driving.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re the reason it’s happening! People hear the name ‘Peter Stark’ and it’s like a billboard saying ‘pick on me’,” Peter muttered.

“I’ll talk to the school,” Tony sighed, understanding what his son was feeling. He was the son of a Stark back in his school days as well. It wasn’t easy.

“No! That will only make it worse!” the boy sighed like his father had no clue about anything, “What you just did out there is already going to make everything so much worse.”

Tony drove silently for several minutes, unsure of the right thing to say, “I’m sorry, buddy, I just, I couldn’t sit back and watch someone—”

“Just stay out of my life, okay!?” Peter shouted with anger when they pulled into the parking garage at the tower. He quickly hopped out, slamming the door before Tony could say another word.

To say his son’s words had hurt was an understatement, and suddenly the happy images of a fun weekend were rapidly vanishing from his brain. Had he really messed up? Or was Peter just reacting because he was upset and embarrassed?

He pulled himself out of the car, unsure of exactly what he was going to do to fix everything.

* * *

The weekend was long. Peter refused to come out of his room for any reason. He had even attempted a hunger strike at first, but when Tony had threatened to take away every fun thing in his room if he didn’t eat, the plates he left on the kid’s side table miraculously started to empty.

On Sunday morning, Happy dropped by with some donuts and a large Starbucks coffee for his friend.

“He won’t talk to me, Hap! He won’t even look at me!” Tony vented to the man as he paced.

“It’s tough being in his position, boss.”

“I know all about that,” Tony reminded, “I grew up in the limelight, same as him.”

“Did you tell him that?” Happy questioned, “Maybe he needs someone to relate to him right now.”

Tony scoffed, “I didn’t exactly have the time for that heart-to-heart when I’m being shoved out the door for the hundredth time.”

Happy rested his hand on the man’s shoulder, “Just calm down a second, okay? Listen, I’ll go in and talk to him. Maybe I can get him to hear you out,” he offered.

“Good luck with that,” Tony muttered, and his friend gave him a sympathetic look, “Watch your back for flying pillows!”

“It will be fine.”

* * *

Happy knocked softly on the teen’s door. It felt like only yesterday that the room had been the nursery, and the image of himself pushing that very door open and seeing his best friend rocking his precious baby boy to sleep crossed Happy’s mind, God he was getting old.

The door wasn’t all the way shut, so he let himself in without waiting on a reply.

Peter was laying on his bed, video game in hand, but he set it down beside him when he saw his uncle.

“He sent in reinforcement, huh?”

Happy shook his head, “I just wanted to come in and check on you.”

“Well, I’m fine, okay?” the teen mumbled. The thing was, Happy had known this kid since birth, and it was very clear to see that he was anything but fine.

“Have those kids been picking on you a while? You’ve never mentioned anything about it to me when I’ve picked you up.”

Peter shrugged, “I was handling it, Uncle Happy.”

Happy nodded, “I’m sure you were, but then why is that kid still shoving you?”

Peter sighed, “Nobody’s going to let me live that down, are they?” He kicked his feet out and flopped down onto his pillow.

“We’re not judging you, buddy. We’re just trying to protect you.”

“Oh, I know,” Peter rolled his eyes, “That’s how it’s been since kindergarten. Bodyguards, and superhero aunts and uncles, always sticking their noses in where they don’t belong.”

Happy shrugged, resting his hand on the kid’s foot, “Sounds to me like you’re lucky to have so many people looking out for you. All those people who love you unconditionally.”

Peter gave a half smirk, “Guilt-tripping me, huh?” 

Another shrug from the uncle, “No, just trying to remind you it’s not all bad.”

Peter sighed, “It’s just- the kids, they hate me because of it. Calling me Prince Stark, or... other things.”

“They’re just jealous.”

“Yeah, but then Dad doing what he did, running out there, fighting my battles for me, they’re going to think I can’t even handle a little bully on my own. They’re going to make fun of me even more!”

Happy sighed, “You shouldn’t have to deal with a bully, period. I do get it though. Talk to your dad, kid. I think he can relate to you more than you think. Can I send him in here?”

Peter picked at a loose thread on his jeans.

“Peter,” Happy pressed.

“Fiiine,” he finally conceded, hugging his middle.

“It’s going to be okay, buddy. I promise. Just hear him out, alright?”

Happy left the room, and a few minutes later Tony hazardously peeked around the door frame, “Happy said I was allowed in?”

Peter rolled his eyes, “Yes.”

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to have another pillow thrown at me or something,” Tony held his hands up in surrender, attempting to keep things light.

“Sorry about that,” Peter mumbled, finding his comforter more interesting than making eye contact with his dad.

“It’s fine, buddy,” Tony sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed, “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you. That was never my intention. I just hated seeing someone picking on my boy.”

Peter nodded, “...They don’t like that we’re related.”

“They’re jealous,” Tony mirrored Happy’s words.

“They think I’m spoiled, that I get whatever I want with no question. Anything doesn’t go my way, and it’s fine, because my dad, or mom, or aunts and uncles will just swoop in and make it all better.”

“Do they know that you just got off a week's grounding for disregarding your chores for two weeks straight?” Tony smirked when his son shot him an annoyed look.

“They wouldn’t believe me even if I told them that. Nobody ever believes when I say we are just a normal family.”

Tony nodded, pulling his son into his side, hugging him tight, “Nobody ever believed me either, kiddo. I get it, believe me, I do.”

“What did you do?” His son peered up at him.

Tony chuckled, stroking his son’s soft brown locks, “Skipped high school, and went to MIT. Absolutely not an option for you, by the way!”

Peter sighed, “I’m screwed.”

“No, you’re not,” Tony shook his head. “I know you don’t want me fighting your battles, but you’re still my son, kiddo. I’m not going to throw you to the wolves, and let you fend for yourself. It’s my job to protect you.”

“But they’ll just—”

“Shh,” Tony soothed, “We’ll figure out something. I’ll talk to your principal,  _ discreetly _ , and see if we can figure out a way to get the bullying under control, okay? It might not be a bad idea to consider sending you to a different school, one with kids with higher profile parents—”

“No, Dad! I don’t want to leave Ned!”

“Okay, okay, shhh. We’ll figure something else out,” Tony squeezed the boy’s shoulders, “You know I love you a lot right?”

“Mm-hmm,” Peter mumbled into his father’s chest.

“To the farthest galaxy and back again.”

“I’m sorry I was so awful to you the last few days.”

“Water under the bridge, buddy,” Tony patted Peter’s head. “Just so you know, no matter what you say to me, I will never stop loving you. I’ll never stop protecting you. Understood?”

Peter nodded, “I know.”

“Now let’s go. Happy brought a butt-ton of donuts, and it would be awfully rude of us to let them go to waste.”

Peter grinned, hopping off the bed, and tucking himself under his father’s strong arm, as he led him out of the room, feeling that love and protection. He didn’t know if anything his father said or did would be enough to change the kids at school, but somehow he knew in the end everything would be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think!! The last few days have been slow and I'm losing my drive here... I appreciate each one of you who is reading along!


End file.
